Archive of Our Own

-AJ-

Why did you enlist?

People expect something noble. Patriotism. Duty. Family tradition. They nod approvingly when you tell them you wanted to serve your country, and they never question it because they're grateful someone else is willing to put their life on the line.

For me? I needed a way out. I needed purpose. A path that wasn't chosen for me. I knew what my mother wanted, and I couldn't do it. 

Two years later, I'd become one of the few female First Lieutenants in the Marine Corps, and if there was one thing I could say about myself with absolute confidence, it was this:

I was damn good at my job.

Which was why it came as a surprise when my commanding officer summoned me to meet with a civilian from CENTCOM and a Lieutenant Colonel I'd never met before.

"At ease, Lieutenant Sawyer," my CO said as I entered.

I relaxed immediately, my attention shifting to the blonde-haired man beside him and the civilian in an expensive suit.

"I've been tasked with selecting an officer to assist in the search for Saddam Hussein's weapons program in Iraq," he informed me.

"Permission to speak freely, sir?" I ask.

"Granted."

"What do you mean by an officer?" I asked. "My team is more than capable."

"They are," Lieutenant Colonel Eric King answered before my CO could. His voice carried the confidence of someone accustomed to being obeyed. "Your record speaks for itself, Lieutenant. This assignment isn't a reflection of your team's abilities."

He folded his hands behind his back.

"We're assembling personnel with specialized experience for a CENTCOM operation."

"What operation?" I wondered.

The civilian stepped forward.

"Caelus," he said. "A satellite imaging system capable of identifying underground structures. My name is Eric King."

I blinked.

"You're the satellite guy?" I blurted out without meaning to.

One corner of his mouth twitched.

"I've been called worse."

That earned the faintest hint of a smile from my commanding officer.

King nodded. "Caelus has identified a possible underground facility in Iraq. CENTCOM believes it may be connected to Saddam's remaining weapons stockpile."

"So we're hunting ghosts."

"We're investigating a lead."

Close enough.

"Who's on the team?"

King handed me a small stack of files.

I flipped through them.

Rachel King.

Nick Kay.

Clarice Stokes.

Nathan Merwin.

Joey Gomez.

Jason Kolchek.

My fingers froze. I kept my expression neutral through years of practice, but my pulse betrayed me immediately.

"When do we leave?" I asked quietly, closing the folder.

King studied me for a moment, as if recognizing I'd deliberately skipped over something, but he answered:

"Immediately."

---

Camp Slayer lived up to its name. The former palace sat beneath the Iraqi sun like a monument to a dead regime, transformed into a Marine base held together by sandbags, determination, and caffeine.

The helicopter hadn't even finished powering down before I spotted the Marine waiting for us.

He was tall with broad shoulders, and a familiar silhouette I'd spent years trying not to think about...fuck.

"Colonel. Good trip?" he asked, his Southern drawl carrying easily over the rotors.

"Not particularly," Eric answered.

"Welcome to Camp Slayer. You're early."

"Operational priorities changed."

Jason nodded before his gaze landed on me.

And stopped. Recognition hit him immediately. His expression didn't change, but I'd known Jason Kolchek long enough to catch the slight widening of his eyes.

Shit.

"You should read this," Eric said, handing him the transfer orders.

Jason skimmed the page before looking between Eric and me again.

"Didn't hear we were getting a new CO," he commented. 

"Surprise," Clarice said cheerfully. "There's a new King of the castle."

I'm glad she's here. I haven't been able to work with her often, and if there's anyone who can help me through this, it's her.

Jason snorted before extending his hand toward Eric.

"Lieutenant Jason Kolchek."

"This is Dr. Clarice Stokes and Lieutenant AJ Sawyer—you two seem to know each other," Eric observed. 

It wasn't a question.

Jason and I answered simultaneously.

"Small world."

"Long story."

Clarice's grin became positively predatory.

Eric's gaze moved between us.

"Well. I assume whatever history exists can wait until after we've completed our mission."

"Wouldn't dream of making it your problem, sir," Jason said smoothly.

His eyes met mine for exactly half a second. Too many memories in too little time.

Clarice leaned toward me as we followed Jason inside.

"He's the one you were telling me about?" she whispered.

I shot her a warning look, and she gasped quietly.

"Clarice," I hissed.

"You didn't tell me he had dimples."

"I was trying to preserve your professionalism."

"That ship has sailed."

Ahead of us, Jason's shoulders shook suspiciously.

Oh, he definitely heard that.

---

"You'll have to excuse the mess," Jason said as he led us through the palace. "Still getting things settled."

There was pride in his voice.

There always had been.

"Only a few weeks ago, Saddam was living here," he continued. "Eating candy bars while some poor bastard clipped his toenails."

"Nice visual," Clarice said.

"Please tell me you swept them up personally," I quip to ease the tension. 

Jason glanced back at me, grinning.

"Nah. Figured I'd save that job for you," he told me.

There it was...That stupid smile. That stupid grin I'd spent years pretending didn't affect me.

Clarice looked between us like she'd just discovered her favorite television drama.

"This mission is going to be fascinating," she murmured. 

"Shut up," I whispered. 

"You love me," she reminded me.

"I know," I sighed.

---

Corporal Merwin was exactly the kind of Marine every unit somehow acquired.

Loud.

Crude.

Impossible not to like.

"Well, hello there," he said as we passed the makeshift gym. "Want to spot me, little lady?"

"I bench more than you," I informed him.

His bark of laughter echoed through the hall.

"We'll see about that," he says with a wink.

Jason covered a laugh with a cough.

"Ignore him," he said. "Merwin comes standard issue with every deployment."

"Nah," Merwin objected. "I'm premium."

His eyes flicked between Jason and me.

Then his grin slowly widened.

"...Oh." He murmured. 

My stomach sank.

"Oh no," Jason muttered.

Merwin pointed between us dramatically.

"OH." He gasped a bit louder.

"Corporal—" Eric tried to intervene.

"Nobody told me Kolchek had a type!"

"Merwin," Jason groaned. 

"This explains everything!" Merwin continued as if no one had spoken. 

"I don't know what you're talking about," Jason insists. 

"Sure you don't."

Clarice had to physically turn away to hide her laughter.

Merwin pointed at Jason again.

"You've got heart eyes, Lieutenant."

"I absolutely do not."

"You absolutely do."

I...don't know what to say. I didn't think we were obvious. We're here for a mission! I looked to Eric, who looked mildly entertained. Traitor.

"Corporal," he interrupted, mercifully, "perhaps save your observations for after the mission."

"Roger that, sir."

He waited exactly three seconds.

"So how long have—"

"MERWIN."

---

Nick Kay was quieter than I'd expected. Jason had mentioned him years ago, though never in detail...but he recognized me immediately.

"So you're Sawyer," he comments as he extends his hand.

I raised an eyebrow.

"Jason talks in his sleep or something?" I ask as I shake his hand.

"More than you'd think," Nick smirked. 

Jason looked horrified.

"You lyin' son of a bitch-"

Nick's expression remained perfectly flat.

"Would you rather have me go further into detail?" He asks.

"Yes," Clarice nods.

For the first time since arriving, Jason looked genuinely betrayed.

"No," Jason huffs.

Nick, for all of his joking, seems exhausted and withdrawn. Something was sitting behind his eyes that hadn't been there in his file photograph.

"You alright, Sergeant?" I asked quietly.

He considered the question.

"Depends on the day."

Jason's expression softened almost imperceptibly.

"We lost civilians in the Green Zone a few weeks back," he explained carefully. "Nick took it hard."

"Still taking it hard," Nick corrected.

I understood that. Some things didn't leave you.

"Are you combat ready?" Eric asked him.

"I am," Nick assures him.

---

Joey Gomez looked young...far too young. He sat behind a computer terminal with enough equipment around him to outfit a small tech company.

"They got you working a desk?" Jason asked.

"Less bullets this way."

"Solid strategy."

Clarice immediately noticed the setup.

"Is that a modified signal amplifier?"

Joey blinked.

"...You know what that is?"

"Please. I've built three."

Twenty minutes later, the two of them were discussing processors, satellite bandwidth, and software architecture like they'd known each other for years.

"I think I understood three words in that entire conversation," Merwin admitted.

"Welcome to my world," I sighed fondly.

"You're improving," Jason told him.

It was tentative, but Joey smiled. Good. Something told me he'd need reasons to smile where we were going.

"So this must be the one and only satellite guy?" Joey asks, gesturing to Eric

"Lieutenant Colonel Eric King," Eric corrects him. "And if I'm not mistaken, Lance Corporal, that makes me your commanding officer."

"My apologies, sir," Joey rushes to say.

"No worries," Eric brushed off the apology.

"Give the Colonel full site access," Jason tells him.

Joey shot to his feet to give Eric the credentials. Hopefully, we won't have any more awkward encounters. 

---

The briefing went about as well as expected. Eric established himself quickly—not through arrogance, but certainty. He only gave himself a brief moment to relax--minimally--when he reunited with his wife, Rachel.

"I know leadership changes aren't ideal," he told the room. "I expect everyone to continue operating as the team Lieutenant Kolchek has built."

"He'll grow on you," I murmured.

"Oh, yeah?" Jason drawled. That damned accent- "What do you make of 'im?"

"I'm reserving judgment," I told him. "He's an intellectual. I've never seen him lead a unit."

"That's basically a compliment," he chuckles. 

Caelus was still a thin lead...An underground structure with possible chemical weapons. Too many maybes for my liking, but we'd followed worse.

When Eric assigned Jason and me to lead the ground operation, Merwin immediately raised a hand.

"Question."

"No," Jason interjected.

"You didn't let me ask."

"I know where this is going," Jason said, gritting his teeth.

"Are they allowed to stare at each other during active combat?"

The room erupted as my hands itch for a weapon. Or a paper bag.  Jason looked ready to bury himself alive.

"I hate all of you."

Nick actually smiled.

 Eric cleared his throat to signal for Jason. After the laughter died, he had been speaking to Rachel about the change in command as we settled down.

"This is from SOC Central," Jason reported to Rachel, handing her the memo he'd held on to. "It confirms that Lieutenant Colonel King has assumed control of this operation."

Before she could reply, Clarice spoke up.

"I'm gonna need access to your network," she announced. 

"I'llllllll patch you through," Rachel assures her. "Name?"

"Dr.Stokes," she replies. "You can call me Clarice."

"And you?" Rachel asks me.

"First Lieutenant AJ Sawyer," I answer her, not sure what to make of her yet.

She nods as Eric orders Clarice to start the presentation. Jason, Nick, and I were huddled in front of the board as Merwin and Joey leaned on a nearby table. A map was displayed on the board with shapes, arrows, and diagrams.

"The fuck is that?" Merwin asks, gesturing at the map. "Modern art or something?"

"This is footage from the highly classified Caelus program," Eric corrects him.

"That supposed to mean something to me?" Merwin asks.

I had to bite the inside of my cheek again. Merwin isn't giving an inch. Eric's pride in his program is evident, but not everyone feels the same way. I hope we can work together on this. Our lives, and the war, could depend on this.

"It's a thermal satellite system that I've pioneered," Eric continues in an even tone.

This is going to be a long mission...We've spent more time listening to Eric sell the program as opposed to providing us with any information. 

I clenched my jaw and let out a deep breath through my nose. I felt Jason nudge me. He knew I was irritated.

"Oh, I'm impressed," Merwin replied sarcastically. "Pioneer away."

Joey let out a weak chuckle at Merwin's antics. 

"You behave like this in all of your briefings, Corporal?" Eric snapped, brevity over.

"The boys are eager to catch a break, sir," Jason intervenes. "No harm meant."

That's the second time I've seen Jason take the heat or stand up for his men. It's one of the things I like about Jason. He'll lay down his life to defend someone...or at least endure a lecture from Eric.

"Very well," Eric continued, shaking his head. "Satellite sweeps of the war zone have uncovered what appears to be an underground storage facility. This will require further investigation, but I believe it's where Saddam's chemical weapons are hidden."

The team gave various reactions, but I didn't have one. Eric's theory sounded thin at best...what "appears" to be an underground facility? I'm not buying it. He "believes" it's where the weapons are hidden. It's thin, but we have to check every lead we have.

"We got you, you son of a bitch!" Jason crowed.

I couldn't help the small smile that crept over my face. I caught a sneaky look from Clarice, and I knew she was dying to ask me for more information about  Jason. I shake my head and smirk. I haven't given her the full story. I didn't want to dwell on it.

"CENTCOM has given the green light to raid the facility and seize any weapons on site. Hostilities may be over, but there are holdout groups of the Republican Gaurd all over the country," Eric continues. "They could deploy those weapons anytime, so we need to move fast. The Army is giving us a ride out in their helos."

Eric lays out another map, and we gather around it.

"On arrival, Lieutenants Kolchek and Sawyer will lead the raid on the facility," he continues. "Once it's secured, we'll carry out a full weapons inspection."

Jason and I nod at one another. We've worked together in the past, and we've run many successful ops. This was nothing. Eric straightened up to stand next to Rachel, who hadn't spoken the entire time.

"Now listen up," Eric addressed us. "There's been a change of leadership, but Rachel's operational expertise and local knowledge are just as valuable as ever. She'll be flying with us, and I want you all to show her the same respect. Any questions?"

I bit the inside of my cheek again. I should be proud of my impulse control today. I don't have an opinion on Rachel King...not really. 

I decided to check my equipment: my M4A1 rifle...M1911 pistol, tactical Bowie knife, and throwing knives...those weren't issue, but they've saved my life often.

"The fuck are we waiting for?" Merwin demands. "I'm ready!"

"That's tribal territory out there, Colonel," Jason murmurs. "Make no mistake...those people are feral."

I snap to attention at his comment. I never knew he felt that way. I shake it off because I need to focus on the task at hand. Regardless of how it was brought up, he wasn't wrong. We could run into hostile forces out there.

"I take it we're getting air support?" I asked.

"Nah, too many birds in the air could bring them down on us," Merwin insisted. "We move in fast-in and out."

"I understand that method is familiar to you, but I have to disagree," I toss at him.

Jason's eyes widened a bit, and I caught Nick covering up a laugh. Merwin chuckled.

"Damn, I like her," Merwin guffawed. "I see why you do, Kolchek."

"What's your call, sir?" Jason asks; avoiding Merwin's comment.

But I caught that. Merwin had mumbled the last part, and either Eric was too absorbed to hear it, or he didn't care if he did...but Jason had heard it, too. 

Nick recognized me, and Merwin teased Jason about me...hm. I allowed myself a brief moment to enjoy that before focusing on the mission, now that the embarrassment has worn off.

"I'll put in a request for air support to be on standby," Eric decides. 

"Our birds can lay low under the radar," Rachel adds. "The site is in the Zagros mountains, so we'll be fine."

"We go dark until the weapons are secured," Eric adds. "If we don't break radio silence within 24 hours, CENTCOM will mount a rescue operation."

"A lot can go down in 24 hours," Joey murmurs.

"Aw, quit being a bitch!" Merwin groans.

"I'm just saying, is all," Joey defends himself.

"This is why we went to war!" Eric firmly interrupted. "This is what gets us out of bed every morning! Make no mistake, ladies and gentlemen, this is how we stop Saddam from using these weapons. Be ready in one hour. Dismissed!"

I've heard enough. Eric continued to bark orders, and I tuned him out. I decided to check on Joey.

"I don't know, man," he's telling Merwin. "This doesn't feel right."

"Aw, sweetie, look," Merwin teased him. "A good rub down will sort that right out, huh?"

"I think it's prudent to exercise caution before an op," I assure Joey. "It keeps your instincts sharp. An impulsive soldier is a dead one."

"Darling, you should smile; it costs nothing," Merwin advised me.

Jason's head snapped up at this point from checking his gear. If anyone knows my temper, it's him. But I can handle Merwin. I've been around one in every squad. I got this.

"So does keeping your mouth shut, but you can't seem to manage," I toss back as Merwin laughs again."We've got your back, Joey. Alright? That's why we're here."

I already felt protective of Joey. Something tells me that he's cautious. Not afraid. He likes to be sure of a situation before he charges in, and quite frankly, the brass has been wrong about Saddam many times, and we've had heavy casualties. 

I don't blame him for his doubt. Eric wants Caelus to be successful, and I worry that it could blind him.

"I'm going to download the latest satellite data," Clarice announced. 

As Rachel approaches Eric, Clarice decides to head to her computer, commenting to Rachel about alone time with her husband.

"Fancy seeing you here," Jason comments, now that we have downtime.

"I wonder why they asked for two of us on this," I mused.

"I guess they want to cover their bases," he shrugs.

"Joey has a point," I brought up. "That speech was full of buzzwords."

"You're as optimistic as ever," he jokes.

"I'm cautious," I correct him. "I have to be."

"I know you do, AJ," he assures me. "'S good to see you again."

"Yeah, it's good to see you again, too," I agreed.

I look away from Jason long enough to see Eric snatch a UV wand away from Merwin, who pouted about it. I shake my head in amusement and laugh. Merwin is funny. It's nice to see that he kept his sense of humor, as odd as it can be.

"How much longer for that download, Clarice? I need it ASAP," Eric asks.

"Yeah?" Clarice replies. "Is five minutes ASAP enough for you? Downloading now."

"Good," he sighs. "I'll check the satellite maps."

"Not the greatest bandwidth," Clarice warns him.

"We work with what we have," Eric calls back.

Joey joins her while they figure out the issue, tossing terms around that I didn't even try to understand. 

Nick approached our table as Jason told the rest of the Marines to check their equipment. Eric supplied us with climbing gear, so I had to adjust my holsters. When I checked my pack, Jason took note of the extra painkillers in mine.

"You're still getting those headaches?" he whispered, eyes full of concern.

"Not as much as I used to," I assure him. "I just keep them on hand...especially with Merwin around."

"AJ..." Okay, he wasn't amused.

"It's a lot better," I repeat myself. "This is preventative. I promise."

"Okay," he nods. "You already know that I've got your back."

"And I've got yours," I assure him.

Eric heads to our table, and I fight the urge to grab a packet. He picks up one of the large white pellets scattered all over it.

"Is this what I think it is?" he asks.

I hadn't noticed being wrapped up in Jason. That can't happen again.

"White Phosphorus," I confirmed.

"And you're on board with this?" Eric rounds on me.

"You handle your satellite, " I tell him. "And we'll handle the equipment!"

"It's just for popping smoke," Jason intervenes. "That's all."

"These are only to be used for cover," Eric sighed. "Understood?"

"That was our intent," I shot back as Jason groaned.

"Understood," Jason confirms.

"After all, Saddam is the one who's breaking weapons conventions, not us," Eric adds, ignoring my outburst.

I'm not sure where the sharp turn in my mood came from, because I've been managing it. I take a deep breath because I have to get this under control. I have to.

Clarice confirms that her download is finished. I felt a familiar pain at the base of my neck. Shit...I can't let this happen.

"AJ, what was that about?" Jason asks me.

I didn't answer, rooting around my bag for the aspirin. I downed them with water.

"I thought they were getting better?" he frowns.

"They were," I inform him. "I just...I don't know..."

But he understood, thankfully.

"Hey, you ever get too stressed, you tell me," Jason requested. 

The soft plea had me agreeing before the words even left my mouth. It would have been cruel to fight him on that. He knew about my condition better than anyone.

"I don't blame you," Nick spoke up. "He seems to be...a lot. I don't know how you put up with it."

I heard the cautious suspicion in his tone, even though it wasn't meant for me.

"He's not bad, he's just...ambitious, " I admit. "I can only hope that this lead isn't a bust."

Nick nods before turning to Jason and asks, "What do you think of him?"

"I take it that you're talking about the skipper?" Jason asks.

I suppress a laugh in my pursuit of a clear mind. I decided to take the pills after all. Jason shrugs.

"I guess we'll see once we get out there," he answers.

---
The flight to the Zagros mountain range went as well as expected: Merwin told jokes, and to my surprise, Rachel shut him down--temporarily. Joey shared some Marine history with Clarice, and Nick had fallen into silence. Hm..

"We're good to go, Marines!" Jason tells the plane, not taking the bait to whatever Merwin had told him.

"This is what we were sent here to do, and may God be my witness; we're gonna succeed!"

"OORAH!" we cry out in the helo.

We grab our gas masks and our gear. Let's see if those satellites do what they've been advertised to.

Jason and I take the lead, signaling the others to flank us. We advanced to the outermost building, but we were spotted! The man shouted in Arabic, running inside. What the hell?

"We've been made!" Nick states. "Awaiting orders!"

I glance at Jason, who nods.

"Fan out, and hold your fire!" I ordered.

"We're going to PSYOPS this shit!" Jason adds.

Rachel used the speakers in the airborne helo to utter the following:

"This is the United States Armed Forces! Exit the building with your hands above your head! We mean you no harm!"

A few men emerge from the building as they comply. Joey and Merwin secure them as Jason, Nick, and I head inside.

The compound itself surrendered without resistance.

A few men emerge from the building as they comply. Joey and Merwin secure them as Jason, Nick, and I head inside.

"The compound is secure, " I report.

"The prisoners are cooperative," Merwin tells us from the outside.

"Roger," Jason confirms. "Pop yellow smoke at the LZ to bring in the Colonel."

We headed outside as Eric and Rachel approached the scene. We pull off our gas masks as Eric asks for a sitrep.

"No shots fired, no casualties," Jason reports. "The farm is secure, and we're processing captives."

"Captives?" Rachel parrots.

"Have you located an entrance to the underground silo?" Eric asks.

"Negative, sir," I replied. "If there is one, it's well camouflaged."

"If there is one?" Eric repeats in a terse tone.

I know what I said. We're all thinking the same thing. The only difference is that I'm not afraid to speak my mind, especially if it could put us at risk.

"We have yet to complete a full search," Jason amends. "We'll find it, sir."

"You took a risk, giving up the element of surprise," Eric comments. "But it paid off. No casualties and clean work."

"Thank you, sir," Jason nods.

"Nonetheless, " Eric continues, "Iraqi holdout troops might be on high alert."

"We're on it," I assure him.

"The team is ready for anything," Jason adds before turning to me.

"Breathe," he requested. "Please."

"I'm calm," I assure him, not breaking eye contact until he does.

As the Kings prepare to head inside, Jason stops to speak to Nick and Merwin.

"Stay sharp," he orders. "If anyone so much as blinks, I wanna know about it."

"Copy that," Nick confirms.

"I don't know about you guys, but something doesn't feel right about this place," Clarice sighs.

I felt it, too. I couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong.

"Oh yeah?" Merwin chuckles. "So is that this, uh, women's intuition I keep hearing about?"

"Yeah, you wanna find out what happens when you piss it off?" I dare him.

"I'd back down if I were you," Jason chuckles. "or we'll have a casualty after all."

"Oh, I've had the feeling you've seen her in action, " Merwin comments.

Jason's eyes narrowed into slits, and Merwin realized he'd gone too far. Nick subtly situated himself to restrain Jason if he had to. I didn't comment. Merwin will figure it out on his own. Even Joey sobered up.

"Keep. This building. Secure." Jason orders coldly before heading inside to join the Kings.

Merwin and Joey were speechless. Clarice lets out a whistle. I also head inside, and by the time I do, Jason has found heroin. 

I noticed effigies hung on one side of the wall...Pagan, maybe...from the sound of it, the interrogation wasn't going anywhere. There was another symbol painted across the hut's mud-brick wall—a stark black emblem weathered by desert wind and time. At its center sat a stylized eye beneath a stepped pyramid, flanked by two regal figures standing sentinel on either side.

Though the paint had cracked with age, the mark still carried an undeniable weight, radiating the same silent authority as the ancient guardians who had once borne it.

Every instinct told me this wasn't decoration. It was a warning—a sacred sign of the Medjai, the protectors sworn to stand against darkness for thousands of years.

I read about them during my down time, but...what's it doing here? As far as I knew, they're a myth...they don't deal with politics or war.

Thinking about it made my temples throb, so I head back to Nick, who has been silently fuming.

"There ain't shit here," he grumbles.

"Wait, what was that?" I asked.

"Look at the ground," he continues. "What do you see? Jack shit! If there was a silo, where are the tracks?"

...Shit. He has a point. No one, aside from Eric, felt confident in this op. Jason...he's hard to read, so I'm not sure what he thinks of this. I don't know how to approach Nick. Something about Eric set him off. 

"...His precious Caelus got it all wrong," Nick grunts.

"I understand your frustration," I tell him. "But we have orders to follow. The search isn't over."

His shoulders relaxed slightly, seeing that I wouldn't chew him out for voicing his opinion.

"Aye, aye," he replies ruefully.

Before I could say anything else, the first RPG hit. Everything happened at once. The explosion consumed one of our helicopters in a ball of fire as Iraqi soldiers poured down from the ridge.

"They're everywhere!" Nick shouted.

I shoved Joey behind cover just as something tore through my shoulder.

Pain exploded down my arm.

Shit.

I hit the dirt behind a collapsed stone wall, bullets chewing through the earth around me.

"AJ's down!" Joey yelled.

"I'm fine!" I yelled back.

"Keep your head down!" Jason ordered. "I'm coming to get you!"

The world narrowed into gunfire and smoke. I tried to move, but another round slammed into the stone inches from my face. I'm too exposed, and they were getting closer.

Somewhere, I heard Merwin arguing for white phosphorus. Then I could hear Nick volunteer to flank the enemy position.

Then Jason moved.

"No—"

He ignored me completely...Of course he did. I watched him leave cover like he'd lost his damn mind, rifle barking as he advanced directly into incoming fire.

Three hostiles dropped, then four. He reached my position and dropped beside me hard.

"You've got terrible timing," I joked. 

"Good to see you too," he counters.

"Jason—"

"Can you walk?" He asks.

"Yes," I assure him.

"Try that again," he tells me.

"...Probably."

He looked furious. For one terrifying second, I was twenty years old again, watching him pull me out of another impossible situation.

Some things never changed. Without another word, he pulled my arm around his shoulders and hauled me upright.

"Nick! Cover!"

"Already doing it!"

Bullets struck the wall behind us as Jason half-carried me across open ground.

"You know," I managed through gritted teeth, "this would've been more romantic without all the gunfire."

I don't know what the hell possessed me to say it, but I can't take it back now."

"Still got jokes," Jason chuckles. 

"You'd be more concerned if I didn't," I remind him.

"Fair enough," he relents. 

Merwin opened fire over our heads.

"YOU TWO CAN FLIRT LATER!"

"I AM NOT FLIRTING!" Jason shouted back immediately.

"THAT SOUNDED LIKE FLIRTING!"

Even under enemy fire, I couldn't stop laughing. Jason looked personally offended by this development. He sat me down behind a tractor before immediately pulling medical supplies from his pack.

"It's a graze," I report.

"You are bleeding through your shirt."

"I've had worse," I tell him.

"I know."

The words came out quieter than intended.

For a moment, neither of us spoke.

There was too much history there...too much left unsaid.

"Did you hit your head?" he asked suddenly, giving me whiplash. 

"No," I shook my head.

"You should've told me if things had gotten worse," he sighs as he patches me up.

"You weren't exactly around," I remind him.

That one landed.

His expression shifted. Before either of us could say anything else, Clarice's voice crackled over the radio.

"Mayday! We're going down!"

The ground shook, and I could hear another chopper going down. What the fuck is going on?! Where's Clarice? She's not a strong combatant, I have to find her!

"-Dropkick, this is Killjoy Two, we are under fire and going down-"

Jason and I get to our feet and I see him chase down one of the captives from the hut, shouting orders. I'm going to look for Clarice...but I only manage one step before the ground crumbles beneath me and I fall into the darkness below.